Data Source

National Portrait Gallery

Exhibition Label

Born Bay City, Michigan

Before she became a cultural icon, Madonna studied with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. But by the early 1980s, she had embraced pop choreography, and the rise of MTV would make her a superstar.

The “Material Girl” used the razzle-dazzle of music videos to transform pop concerts into dance spectacles. Because videos used lip-synching, performers could concentrate on showmanship, and Madonna’s pyrotechnical extravaganzas were unsurpassed. She popularized the use of the headset microphone to allow greater movement and used choreography to continually push conventional boundaries. She was also the first performer to use her concert tours as reenactments of her music videos. In 2003 MTV named her “The Greatest Music Video Star Ever” for her innovative contributions to that art form.

The chart-topping single “Vogue” was featured in the 1990 film Dick Tracy.

Artist

Jeri Heiden, born 1969

Copy after

Alberto Tolot, born 31 Dec 1969

Sitter

Madonna, born 16 Aug 1958

Date

1990

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Medium

Color photolithographic halftone poster

Dimensions

Sheet: 151.1 x 101.6 cm (59 1/2 x 40")

Type

Print

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Object number

NPG.2012.67

Topic

Poster

Madonna: Female

Madonna: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Songwriter

Madonna: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer

Madonna: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie

Madonna: Performing Arts\Performer\Dancer

Portrait

Title

Vogue